E-learning has been around for a long time. It has been proven to be an effective delivery method in the past when it comes to distance learning among adults who live abroad or are too busy to go to class.

But with the recent COVID-19 pandemic, more schools and higher learning institutions are slowly adopting e-learning as the main method of teaching. Partly because it is an effective and sustainable way to teach, but mostly because of the social distancing rules put in place to prevent the spread of the virus.

E-Learning Statistics

According to Statista, the e-learning market worldwide is projected to surpass $243 billion by 2022. And as much as e-learning is becoming the preferred method to provide education and training, it is still far from being widely accepted and commonly used. Certain studies show that students are less likely to benefit from this type of education.

Why?

Because e-learning, being mostly self-directed work, might prove lacking for students prone to procrastination. Moreover, e-learning takes out the social interaction of a traditional school or college experience.

However, it’s not all bad news.

E-Learning allows for significant advancements in the educational system including widening knowledge to reach individuals who may not have had access to certain resources before. With a smartphone and a reliable internet connection, students can access classes from anywhere in the world, whenever they see fit.

But that’s not all.

While most on-campus programs cost $22,000 to $50,000 yearly, depending on the course, online programs let you cut those costs in half. This shows that e-learning, away from being a way to reduce the spread of the virus, is a sustainable and affordable way for students around the world to get an education.

Before You Leave

E-learning is huge and only is going to get bigger. And while the fading lines between online and traditional education have been noted for several decades, the COVID-19 pandemic has surely hastened the erasure of these boundaries. The adoption of portable gadgets like smartphones and laptops is likely to stimulate the market demand for e-learning in the coming years.

And with key players like Adobe Systems Inc., Oracle Corporation, and Microsoft making major contributions towards the industry growth, it looks like e-learning is here to stay.